Lillian Gish Wished to Play Desdemona Opposite Paul Robeson

                                                                Lillian circa mid-1940s

On November 1 1604, William Shakespeare's tragedy "Othello" was presented at Whitehall Palace in London.

Lillian loved all the classics, especially Shakespeare, and in 1930, when she left Hollywood for the stage, she wanted to play Desdemona opposite Paul Robeson.

Albany Times Union August 30 1930

"[Lillian Gish] said she had not been asked to play opposite Paul Robeson, [N]egro star, in an American production of Shakespeare's "Othello," but 'if Robeson is, as one hears, the greatest actor of Othello in the world, I should be glad to play opposite him (as Desdemona)'". Assuming 1898 birth, Lillian would have been 32 at the time. 

Ward Morehouse in The New York Sun November 7, 1930

“Lillian Gish writes from Chicago that she won't appear as Desdemona this season because Jed Harris has abandoned his plan to do ‘Othello.’"

Historical Note:

Paul Robeson played Othello at The Schubert Theater for nearly 300 performances in 1943 with German Uta Hagen, then 24, as Desdemona.  He was the first African American lead with an all-white supporting cast on Broadway. Miss Gish would have been 45 then assuming an 1898 birth. Lillian was doing older roles by then. Robeson played Othello in London in 1930 with Dame Peggy Ashcroft, then 23, as Desdemona.